Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a temple at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you of His people may go up, and may the Lord his God be with him.

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The Lord put it into the mind of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and [to put it] in writing: This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: "The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever is among His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. read more.
Let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem." So the family leaders of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites-everyone God had motivated-prepared to go up and rebuild the Lord's house in Jerusalem. All their neighbors supported them with silver articles, gold, goods, livestock, and valuables, in addition to all that was given as a freewill offering. King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the Lord's house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the house of his gods. King Cyrus of Persia had them brought out under the supervision of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. This was the inventory: 30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins, 29 silver knives, 30 gold bowls, 410 various silver bowls, and 1,000 other articles. The gold and silver articles totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of them when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem. These now are the people of the province who came from those captive exiles King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had deported to Babylon. Each of them returned to his hometown Jerusalem and Judah. They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the Israelite men [included]: Parosh's descendants 2,172 Shephatiah's descendants 372 Arah's descendants 775 Pahath-moab's descendants: Jeshua's and Joab's descendants 2,812 Elam's descendants 1,254 Zattu's descendants 945 Zaccai's descendants 760 Bani's descendants 642 Bebai's descendants 623 Azgad's descendants 1,222 Adonikam's descendants 666 Bigvai's descendants 2,056 Adin's descendants 454 Ater's descendants: Hezekiah's 98 Bezai's descendants 323 Jorah's descendants 112 Hashum's descendants 223 Gibbar's descendants 95 Bethlehem's people 123 Netophah's men 56 Anathoth's men 128 Azmaveth's people 42 Kiriatharim's, Chephirah's, and Beeroth's people 743 Ramah's and Geba's people 621 Michmas's men 122 Bethel's and Ai's men 223 Nebo's people 52 Magbish's people 156 the other Elam's people 1,254 Harim's people 320 Lod's, Hadid's, and Ono's people 725 Jericho's people 345 Senaah's people 3,630 The priests [included]: Jedaiah's descendants of the house of Jeshua 973 Immer's descendants 1,052 Pashhur's descendants 1,247 and Harim's descendants 1,017 The Levites [included]: Jeshua's and Kadmiel's descendants from Hodaviah's descendants 74 The singers [included]: Asaph's descendants 128 The gatekeepers' descendants [included]: Shallum's descendants, Ater's descendants, Talmon's descendants, Akkub's descendants, Hatita's descendants, Shobai's descendants, in all 139 The temple servants [included]: Ziha's descendants, Hasupha's descendants, Tabbaoth's descendants, Keros's descendants, Siaha's descendants, Padon's descendants, Lebanah's descendants, Hagabah's descendants, Akkub's descendants, Hagab's descendants, Shalmai's descendants, Hanan's descendants, Giddel's descendants, Gahar's descendants, Reaiah's descendants, Rezin's descendants, Nekoda's descendants, Gazzam's descendants, Uzza's descendants, Paseah's descendants, Besai's descendants, Asnah's descendants, Meunim's descendants, Nephusim's descendants, Bakbuk's descendants, Hakupha's descendants, Harhur's descendants, Bazluth's descendants, Mehida's descendants, Harsha's descendants, Barkos's descendants, Sisera's descendants, Temah's descendants, Neziah's descendants, and Hatipha's descendants. The descendants of Solomon's servants [included]: Sotai's descendants, Hassophereth's descendants, Peruda's descendants, Jaalah's descendants, Darkon's descendants, Giddel's descendants, Shephatiah's descendants, Hattil's descendants, Pochereth-hazzebaim's descendants, and Ami's descendants. All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon's servants 392 The following are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer but were unable to prove that their families and ancestry were Israelite: Delaiah's descendants, Tobiah's descendants, Nekoda's descendants 652 and from the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Habaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, the descendants of Barzillai- who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name. These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim. The whole combined assembly numbered 42,360 not including their 7,337 male and female slaves, and their 200 male and female singers. They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.


The priests: Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jachin;

The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,

The priests included:

Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua 973

The priests included:

Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua 973


The priests included:

Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua 973

The priests included:

Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua 973


and from the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, the descendants of Barzillai—who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name.

So the family leaders of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone God had motivated—prepared to go up and rebuild the Lord’s house in Jerusalem.

I selected 12 of the leading priests, along with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and 10 of their brothers. I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles-the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites who were present had offered. I weighed out to them 24 tons of silver, silver articles weighing 7,500 pounds, 7,500 pounds of gold, read more.
20 gold bowls worth 1,000 gold coins, and two articles of fine gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold. Then I said to them, "You are holy to the Lord, and the articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord God of your fathers. Guard [them] carefully until you weigh [them] out in the chambers of the Lord's house before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families in Jerusalem." So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the articles that had been weighed out, to bring [them] to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

In the second month of the second year after they arrived at God’s house in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers, including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began to build. They appointed the Levites who were 20 years old or more to supervise the work on the Lord’s house.

Some of the Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants accompanied him to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

The priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, and some of the people settled in their towns, and the rest of Israel settled in their towns.

The priests [included]: Jedaiah's descendants of the house of Jeshua 973 Immer's descendants 1,052 Pashhur's descendants 1,247 read more.
and Harim's descendants 1,017

The priests [included]: Jedaiah's descendants of the house of Jeshua 973 Immer's descendants 1,052 Pashhur's descendants 1,247 read more.
Harim's descendants 1,017

and from the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai-who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by their name. These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. The governor ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim. read more.
The whole combined assembly numbered 42,360 not including their 7,337 male and female slaves, as well as their 245 male and female singers. They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys. Some of the family leaders gave to the project. The governor gave 1,000 gold drachmas, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments to the treasury. Some of the family leaders gave 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas to the treasury for the project. The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold drachmas, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments. So the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns.

Those whose seals were [on the document] were: Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, read more.
Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.

These are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, read more.
Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their relatives in the days of Jeshua.


According to the ordinances of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, of the Levites over their responsibilities to offer praise and to minister before the priests following the daily requirement, and of the gatekeepers by their divisions with respect to each gate, for this had been the command of David, the man of God.

So I purified them from everything foreign and assigned specific duties to each of the priests and Levites.

The divisions of the descendants of Aaron were as follows: Aaron's sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. Together with Zadok from the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the sons of Ithamar, David divided them according to the assigned duties of their service. read more.
Since more leaders were found among Eleazar's descendants than Ithamar's, they were divided [accordingly]: 16 heads of ancestral houses were from Eleazar's descendants, and eight [heads] of ancestral houses were from Ithamar's. They were divided impartially by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar's and Ithamar's descendants. The secretary, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the officers, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites. One ancestral house was taken for Eleazar, and then one for Ithamar. The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel, the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. These had their assigned duties for service when they entered the Lord's temple, according to their regulations, which they received from their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.

The priests [included]: Jedaiah's descendants of the house of Jeshua 973 Immer's descendants 1,052 Pashhur's descendants 1,247 read more.
and Harim's descendants 1,017

Also included were plans for the divisions of the priests and the Levites; all the work of service in the Lord’s house; all the articles of service of the Lord’s house;

Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of God’s house. Every willing man of any skill will be at your disposal for the work, and the leaders and all the people are at your every command.”

Hezekiah reestablished the divisions of the priests and Levites for the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, for ministry, for giving thanks, and for praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord, each division corresponding to his service among the priests and Levites.

"Organize your ancestral houses by your divisions according to the written instruction of David king of Israel and that of his son Solomon. Serve in the holy place by the divisions of the ancestral houses for your brothers, the lay people, and the distribution of the tribal household of the Levites.


In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest of Abijah’s division named Zechariah. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

The priests [included]: Jedaiah's descendants of the house of Jeshua 973 Immer's descendants 1,052 Pashhur's descendants 1,247 read more.
and Harim's descendants 1,017